Policy & Politics

Education news, analysis, and opinion about the legislation, guidance, policies and people involved in federal and state government
Federal Trump Admin. Sues Minnesota Over Transgender Athletes in Girls' Sports
It's the third state the Trump administration has sued over transgender participation in athletics.
The Associated Press
•
2 min read
Law & Courts Birthright Citizenship Case Raises Stakes for Schools and Undocumented Students
Educators are paying close attention to the case on Trump's birthright citizenship order.
Mark Walsh
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10 min read
States A State Gets Closer to Challenging Undocumented Students' Free Access to School
Lawmakers are debating legislation that would require schools to collect immigration information.
Ileana Najarro
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4 min read
Education Funding Trump Again Proposes Major Education Cuts in New Budget Proposal
The president again wants lawmakers to consider billions in K-12 spending cuts and program eliminations.
Mark Lieberman
•
7 min read
The Senate and the Capitol Dome are illuminated in Washington, early Thursday, April 2, 2026, as Congress meets in a short, pro forma session.
The Senate and the Capitol dome are illuminated in Washington early in the day on Thursday, April 2, 2026. For the second year in a row, the White House budget proposes major cuts to federal education programs that the Republican-led Congress rejected last year.
J. Scott Applewhite/AP
Law & Courts Supreme Court Seems Poised to Reject Trump's Birthright Order
Trump’s attendance in the birthright citizenship case marked the first time a sitting president has done this.
The Associated Press
•
6 min read
President Donald Trump leaves the Supreme Court, on April 1, 2026, in Washington.
President Donald Trump leaves the Supreme Court on April 1, 2026, in Washington. The justices signaled skepticism of Trump’s bid to restrict birthright citizenship.
Anthony Peltier/AP
Federal Tracker See Which Ed. Dept. Programs Are Moving to New Agencies: A Tracker
K-12 and higher education programs are heading to new agencies as part of Trump administration downsizing.
Mark Lieberman
•
1 min read
Photo collaged image of the U.S. Department of Education shattering.
Vanessa Solis/Education Week + AP + Getty
Federal Meet the Trump Cabinet Secretaries Taking Over Ed. Dept. Programs
The U.S. Department of Education is shifting more than 100 programs to other federal agencies.
Mark Lieberman
•
1 min read
President Donald Trump speaks during a Cabinet meeting at the White House, on March 26, 2026, in Washington.
President Donald Trump speaks during a Cabinet meeting at the White House, on March 26, 2026, in Washington. Six Cabinet members are now on track to have a hand in managing U.S. Department of Education programs.
Alex Brandon/AP

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More Policy & Politics

  • Students ride tricycles during aftercare at a Head Start program run by Easterseals, an organization that gets about a third of its funding from the federal government, Jan. 29, 2025, in Miami.
    Students ride tricycles at a Head Start program run by Easterseals, an organization that gets about a third of its funding from the federal government, on Jan. 29, 2025, in Miami. The Trump administration has reclassified Head Start as a "federal public benefit" similar to welfare so it can bar undocumented students from the early childhood program. Twenty-one attorneys general are now suing over that policy change.
    Rebecca Blackwell/AP
    Law & Courts States Sue Over Trump's Ban on Undocumented Youth in Head Start, Early College
    The cost of compliance is so high, the lawsuit argues, some Head Start programs could be forced to close.
    Matthew Stone, July 21, 2025
    •
    4 min read
    Arkansas Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders signs an education overhaul bill into law, March 8, 2023, at the state Capitol in Little Rock, Ark.
    Arkansas Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders signs an education overhaul bill into law on March 8, 2023, at the state Capitol in Little Rock. The law includes a provision targeting critical race theory and other ideologies that state lawmakers considered "discriminatory."
    Andrew DeMillo/AP
    Law & Courts Appeals Court Backs Arkansas Law Targeting Critical Race Theory
    A federal appeals court allowed Arkansas to enforce its law barring teachers from "indoctrination" of students in Critical Race Theory.
    Mark Walsh, July 18, 2025
    •
    3 min read
    The U.S. Capitol is reflected in a puddle outside of the Rayburn House Office Building on July 16, 2025, on Capitol Hill in Washington.
    The U.S. Capitol is reflected in a puddle outside of the Rayburn House Office Building on July 16, 2025, on Capitol Hill in Washington. Education Week contacted hundreds of lawmakers to determine their feelings on the unprecedented step taken by the Trump Administration to withhold education funds approved by Congress.
    Julia Demaree Nikhinson/AP
    Education Funding We Asked Congress Whether Trump Withholding School Funds Is Legal. Here's What They Said
    All but a few members who voted in March to allocate now-withheld funding didn't respond to the question.
    Mark Lieberman & Maya Riser-Kositsky, July 18, 2025
    •
    9 min read
    Children raise their hands while participating in activities during the East Providence Boys and Girls Club Summer Camp at Emma G. Whiteknact Elementary School on July 10, 2025, in Providence R.I.
    Children raise their hands while participating in activities during the East Providence Boys and Girls Club Students participate in a Boys and Girls Club Summer Camp at Emma G. Whiteknact Elementary School on July 10, 2025, in Providence, R.I. The Boys and Girls Club runs summer camps, and before- and after-school programs, across the country funded with the help of federal education funds.
    Sophie Park/AP
    Education Funding Trump Releases $1.4 Billion He Withheld From After-School Programs
    More than $5 billion for education remains frozen.
    Mark Lieberman, July 18, 2025
    •
    6 min read
    Photo of frozen money,
    Gary Alvis / iStock
    Education Funding What's the Latest on Trump's School Funding Freeze? What We Know and Don't Know
    Billions of federal dollars for education are on hold and might not show up at all.
    Mark Lieberman, July 16, 2025
    •
    12 min read
    Sen. Susan Collins, R,Maine, with Sens. Tammy Baldwin, D-Wis., left, and Shelly Moore Capito, R-W.Va., center, question Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., during a Senate Committee on Appropriations subcommittee hearing to examine proposed budget estimates for fiscal year 2026 for the Department of Health and Human Services, on Capitol Hill, May 20, 2025, in Washington.
    Sens. Susan Collins, R-Maine, (right) and Shelley Moore Capito, R-W.Va., (center) are shown during a Senate subcommittee hearing on May 20, 2025, in Washington. They're among 10 Republican senators who have signed a letter urging the Trump administration to release $6.8 billion in federal education funds it's withheld from states. Sen. Tammy Baldwin, D-Wis., (left) was among 32 Democratic senators to sign a letter urging the same.
    Manuel Balce Ceneta/AP
    Education Funding Republicans Urge Trump to Release $6.8 Billion in School Funding He's Held Back
    The funds that were supposed to go out July 1 pay for teacher training, English learner services, after-school programs, and more.
    Mark Lieberman, July 16, 2025
    •
    4 min read
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Student Well-Being & Movement Quiz Quiz Yourself: How Much Do You Know About Student Mental Health & Well-Being?
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Content provided by ViewSonic
School & District Management Quiz Quiz Yourself: When Are District and School Leaders Most Likely to Read Emails?
Wondering when district and school leaders are most likely to check their emails? Take our quick quiz and discover the ideal times to send your messages for better engagement.
Special Education Spotlight Spotlight on Neurodiversity in K12: Supporting Every Learner's Success
This Spotlight will help you explore effective strategies for supporting neurodiverse students, fostering inclusive environments, and more.
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  • Turning Point USA Founder Charlie Kirk speaks during a campaign rally, Oct. 24, 2024, in Las Vegas.
    Turning Point USA Founder Charlie Kirk speaks during a campaign rally, Oct. 24, 2024, in Las Vegas. Following Kirk's assassination, Republican leaders are propelling Turning Point USA into K-12 schools.
    John Locher/AP
    States How Charlie Kirk's Turning Point USA Is Expanding Its Reach to K-12 Schools
    The organization has more than 1,000 chapters in high schools across the country.
    Brooke Schultz, September 25, 2025
    •
    6 min read
    State Superintendent Ryan Walters leaves the Oklahoma State Board of Education meeting on April 25, 2024 in Oklahoma City.
    Oklahoma State Superintendent Ryan Walters leaves a state board of education meeting on April 25, 2024 in Oklahoma City. Walters, a conservative firebrand who was constantly in the news during his three years in office, will run an organization that encourages teachers to leave their unions.
    Nick Oxford/Human Rights Campaign via AP
    States Ryan Walters, Okla.’s Fiery Education Chief, to Step Down
    Oklahoma state superintendent announces his resignation after nearly three years of near-constant controversy.
    Andrea Eger, Tulsa World, September 25, 2025
    •
    3 min read
    Rolled American One Hundred Dollar bills and handsaw cutting the bottom out from under on orange background.
    iStock/Getty
    Education Funding Trump Bypasses Congress and Slashes Hundreds of Education Grants
    More than 200 ongoing projects have seen their remaining grant funding canceled in recent weeks.
    Mark Lieberman, September 24, 2025
    •
    10 min read
    The United States Capitol building as a bookcase filled with red, white, and blue policy books in a Washington DC landscape.
    Luca D'Urbino for Education Week
    School Choice & Charters Opinion How Can Education Savings Accounts Serve Students With Special Needs?
    The state that pioneered the ESA is overseeing more than 10,000 requests daily from families for education expenses.
    Rick Hess, September 23, 2025
    •
    8 min read
    Demonstrators are seen outside the Supreme Court as oral arguments were heard in Mahmoud v. Taylor on April 22, 2025, in Washington, D.C. The case contends that forcing students to participate in LGBTQ+ learning material violates First Amendment rights to exercise religious beliefs.
    Demonstrators are seen outside the Supreme Court as oral arguments were heard in Mahmoud v. Taylor on April 22, 2025, in Washington, D.C. The high court later ruled that parents have a constitutional right to excuse their children from LGBTQ-themed lessons based on religious objections.
    Tom Williams/CQ Roll Call via AP Images
    Law & Courts LGBTQ+ Rights, Ed. Dept. Cuts, Ten Commandments: A Summer Legal Roundup
    Courts weighed in this summer on LGBTQ+ rights, school speech, and religion in classrooms.
    Mark Walsh, September 22, 2025
    •
    11 min read
    U.S. Secretary of Education Linda McMahon is interviewed by Indiana’s Secretary of Education Katie Jenner during the 2025 Reagan Institute Summit on Education in Washington, D.C., on Sept. 18, 2025.
    U.S. Secretary of Education Linda McMahon is interviewed by Indiana Secretary of Education Katie Jenner during the 2025 Reagan Institute Summit on Education in Washington, on Sept. 18, 2025.
    Leah Millis for Education Week
    Federal Linda McMahon Says 'We Have to Teach How to Disagree' After Charlie Kirk Killing
    The education secretary's conciliatory tone contrasted with others in the Trump administration amid the furor over the activist's murder.
    Mark Lieberman, September 18, 2025
    •
    3 min read
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EdWeek Market Brief

Strategy & Operations Market Analysis When to Bring in a Consultant — and How to Make it Pay Off
Industry advisors and business officials discuss the factors that contribute to a successful engagement.
Alexandria Ng
•
8 min read
Meeting District Needs K-12 Insider What Made a Middle School's First-Ever ELA Curriculum Launch a Success
The process that Principal Anne Heck led in Lake Geneva Middle School offers one vision for how professional development and procurement can pair to improve student learning.
Emma Kate Fittes
•
10 min read
Education Market Exclusive Data Vendors Are Pairing Assessment And Curriculum. Is That What K-12 Officials Want?
New EdWeek Market Brief data explores the ideal number of companies that district and school leaders say they want to work with, and whether they're open to a single provider for both curriculum and assessment products.
Emma Kate Fittes
•
8 min read
Regulation & Policy K-12 Market News EdMarket Recap: Feds Move to Rewrite Grant Rules; States Pitch Funding Changes
EdWeek Market Brief staff writers dissect significant news of the week and identify the most important takeaways for companies serving K-12 districts.
Scott Elliott
•
3 min read
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